


Kissing in the Rain

by childoflightningg



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, F/M, kissing in the rain au, may just be an excuse to rewatch kitr and pride and prejudice over and over
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-07-16 11:44:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7266832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childoflightningg/pseuds/childoflightningg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Actors Marinette and Adrien keep finding themselves kissing in the rain, yet can't seem to express their feelings offscreen.</p>
<p>Actors AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Celia & Edward

**Author's Note:**

> a [kissing in the rain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kMIcdMe56s&index=2&list=PLs2T_dNZ-XW7q7eqkRL1VXBiyaC_5VXRW) au
> 
> Basically Adrien and Marinette are actors who keep getting cast as the romantic leads in movies together, although offscreen they're not really sure where they stand with each other.

_“Celia, wait!”_

_Celia didn’t. A pink umbrella protected her carefully styled hair from the rain pouring around her. She wrapped her coat tighter around her, her face stony._

_Edward called after her again, trying to keep up. “Celia!”_

_This time she faltered. She turned._

_Edward stood, soaked through, a hand stretched out to her. Celia’s face softened._

_“Celia, don’t leave. I’m begging you.”_

_“Why should I stay?” she asked, voice breaking._

_“Because I’m in love with you,” Edward said, taking her hand. “Celia, I know you love me too. Don’t do this. Give us another chance.” His eyes were bright and earnest._

_Celia’s eyes were brimming. “Edward, I need time.”_

_He nodded. He looked at her small hand in his._

_“I…” Celia trailed off. Words failed her._

_Instead she withdrew her hand from his and placed it lightly on his cheek. She leaned up and kissed him - the rain beating down around them - his arms around her waist -_

**“Cut. That’s great. Take five and we’ll go again.”**

As soon as she heard the director’s voice Marinette unglued herself from this stranger’s lips, taking a step back and wiping the manufactured raindrops off her cheek. She folded the umbrella and leaned it on the stone bench, not looking at her costar.

Usually she’d make small talk, but as pathetic as Adrien Agreste looked drenched in the fake rain, Marinette wasn’t interested in making nice with him.

“It’s nice working with you, Marinette,” Adrien tried.

_Stuck-up, daddy’s boy -_

“Thanks,” she said tersely.

_Had it been five minutes yet?_ She’d left her watch and phone in her trailer, knowing they wouldn’t survive filming in the rain today.

Adrien pushed his dripping, blond bangs out of his eyes. “Hey - uh, would you want to grab a bite -”

“No thanks,” she said decisively.

“Oh.” He paused. “Uh, me neither. I was just testing you.”

_Was that supposed to be a joke?_ “Please don’t talk to me,” she said.

“Oh,” he said. He sounded a little taken aback.

Internally she winced. Was that too cruel? She didn't know him that well. But he _was_ insufferable. Arrogant, probably. And - she glanced up at him, almost a whole head above her - _too tall._

She decided to ignore him. “Can I get a touch-up please?” As her makeup artist, Alya, headed over, she muttered under her breath - “and a _mint?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I don't know a lot about what it's like to film a movie so...bear with me here~~
> 
> lucky accident update is still on its way, but I came up with this out of the blue and had to make it happen. :)
> 
> future chapters will probably be longer. chapter two will be up in just a few minutes!


	2. Bridgette & Félix

_A car sped by, tearing through a puddle. Bridgette exclaimed, throwing up her hands as it drenched her from head to toe.“Oh - that’s perfect!” Bridgette wrung out her pigtails, sighing. “You could have easily avoided that puddle!” she called after the car._

_The rain was picking up again. She plopped down on a bench, wiping the water out of her eyes. “Whatever,” she mumbled. “I would have gotten soaked anyway.” She had forgotten an umbrella._

_“Bridgette?” someone said. The girl on the bench went absolutely still._

_A tall blonde boy stood in front of her holding a red umbrella, frowning deeply._

_“Félix?” Bridgette said, confusion clear on her face. “I thought you left.”_

_Félix shifted from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. “I came back, obviously.” He hesitated. “Would you -” He held out the umbrella awkwardly._

_Bridgette took it. “Thanks.”_

_He sat down stiffly on the bench, a few feet of space in between them. “It’s...good to see you again.”_

_“Why did you come back?” Bridgette asked._

_Félix shook his head._

_“I can read you, Félix.”_

_“Then you know exactly why I came back, and I don’t have to explain.”_

_“I thought you liked someone else,” Bridgette said. “Isn’t that why you broke my heart last year? Isn’t that why you left?”_

_“I…” he scowled. “It’s complicated.”_

_“I’m sorry.”_

_“Don’t be. It’s fine.” A few beats. “If you know why I came back, then -”_

_“I’m not letting you off the hook that easily.” Bridgette grinned. “You have to tell me yourself.”_

_He grimaced and shook his head. Bridgette laughed._

_“You’re really not willing to?”_

_Félix shook his head again, but this time with a touch of a smile._

_“Fine. I’ll make you tell me another way.” She slid across the bench, closing the space between them, pulling his lips to hers._

**“Cut. Good. That’s a wrap for today.”**

The actors pulled away from each other. Adrien grabbed a dry towel and wrapped it around himself tightly, shivering. Unfortunately, their tight schedule had made it impossible to film the rain scene any other day. He had lost feeling in his toes half an hour ago.

His costar looked uncomfortable too. Did he dare -

“Cold, huh?” Adrien held out a second towel. “I think my hair might be turning into icicles.” _Why did he say that?_ He sounded so dumb. So whiny. He loved his job, no matter how many times his hair froze.

Marinette was ignoring him. She rummaged through her bag, muttering. “I thought I brought one.”

“One what?”

She looked up, piercing him with her eyes. She must have decided it wasn’t worth pretending to have not heard him. “An umbrella. It’s going to rain for real, and I have to walk home.” She swept back her wet bangs. “I can’t take Bridgette’s umbrella, props would be ticked off.”

Adrien looked at her, puzzled. “You’re already soaked.”

“So?”

He didn’t press it. Instead, he walked to the director’s chair - Gabriel’s chair. A plain black umbrella leaned against it. He picked it up, opening it just as the rain started to fall.

Marinette frowned. “I can’t take that. It’s Gabriel's.”

Adrien shook his head. “He won’t miss it, I promise.”

Marinette still hesitated, though she shivered in the rain.

Adrien sighed. He’d had enough of this. “Okay, Marinette. What did I do?” Marinette looked at him in shock. He’d never spoken so urgently to her before. “I’ll do everything I can to make it right, if you’ll only tell me why you dislike me so much.”

Marinette cocked an eyebrow. “You really have to ask? When we’re standing here on your father’s movie set?”

“Oh.” Adrien sagged, his faint suspicion confirmed.

Rain pelted the umbrella he still held aloft. _Pat pat pat pat pat pat -_

“I had to work my butt off to get here, Adrien.” She didn't sound irritated anymore. “We don’t all have famous last names.”

Adrien nodded. “I’ve seen how hard you work, Marinette.”

Marinette was silent.

“The truth is that this is the first time I’ve let my dad get me a role since I was a kid. I don’t take any part if I think it’s only being offered because of my last name.”

Marinette tilted her head. “Then why...why did you let your father get you this role?” she asked.

 _Crap._ Would she be flattered to know, or annoyed? “I…” he took a deep breath. “I guess I just really wanted to work with you again. I have...a lot of respect for you.”

Marinette was looking at him strangely - meeting his eyes out of character, a rare occurrence. She looked a little surprised. Adrien’s heart raced.

She took the umbrella. Thunder boomed softly in the distance.

Adrien grinned, suddenly feeling lighter. “See you tomorrow!” he said as he left.

He thought he heard her stammer it back to him, but it must have been a trick of the wind. Marinette didn’t stammer.

She had taken the umbrella. Their fingers had brushed.

Adrien whistled cheerfully the whole way to his apartment.


	3. Juliet & Romeo

_“Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,” Juliet said. “Which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.” She pressed the palms of their hands together between them._

_“Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” Romeo replied, leaning closer to her._

_Juliet stepped back, easily dodging him. “Ay, pilgrim,” she said with a laugh. “Lips that they must use in prayer.”_

_“O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.”_

_“Saints do not move,” Juliet declared. “Though grant for prayer’s sake.”_

_“Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.” Juliet’s eyes fluttered shut as Romeo pressed a chaste kiss to her lips._

_She opened her eyes and smiled wryly. “Then have my lips the sin that they have took?”_

_“Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!” Romeo cried, and Juliet laughed again, moving her arms to circle around his neck. “Give me my sin again,” he said._

_Their entwined silhouettes stood out against the curtain of rain that came down beyond them, missing them by inches as they kissed beneath the awning._

**"Cut! Great work, guys. Take five and we’ll do it again."**

Marinette felt Adrien pull away, but it took a moment for her to open her eyes. She felt as though she were still in the story, and frowned, disoriented at the change.

“I think that was pretty good,” Adrien said.

“Yeah!” Marinette said. _Why did her voice sound like she was being strangled?_ “Yeah,” she said, trying for a more even tone.

Adrien smiled. “I’m going to go to the bathroom quick.”

“Okay,” Marinette said, nodding. “I’m...going to get my makeup touched up. And to get a drink of water. So...that’s where I’ll be.” She cleared her throat, inwardly cringing.

“Okay. I guess I’ll...see you in a few,” Adrien said, heading in the direction of the bathrooms.

“Yup,” Marinette said, backing away. "See you -"

“Ow!” someone exclaimed.

Marinette whipped around. “Oh! I'm so sorry, Alya, it's this stupid dress. Did I step on your foot?”

“Yes,” the makeup artist muttered. “Let me guess, you were talking to or thinking about Adrien, and got distracted.”

Marinette moaned and collapsed into a chair. “This is killing me, Al,” she said miserably. “I have to kiss the guy I like for a _living_.”

“Poor you,” Alya said dryly. “Truly, never was a story of more woe.”

“It’s not as fun as you think, you know,” Marinette said. “To playact like a couple and then snap back to reality where you’re barely even friends."

“You have to loosen up, girl,” Alya said, dusting powder across Marinette’s cheeks. “Relax. Maybe ask him out for coffee.”

“It’s not that simple,” Marinette said. “I was horrible to him. I think he still hates me.”

“Then you have nothing to lose! What’s the worst that could happen?”

“He scorns me, I’m humiliated, and the rest of the shoot is crushingly awkward.”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “More awkward than it is now?”

“Yes,” Marinette said. “Right now we’re making small talk, we’re being friendly. I don’t want to make it weird.”

“Because it wasn’t weird at all yesterday, when you told him he was - what was it? ‘Amazing at holding things!”

Marinette glanced away. “That wasn’t my finest moment.”

“I’ve known you for as long as you’ve known Adrien, have I not?” Alya said.

“You have.”

“I have worked on every movie set the two of you have been together on, have I not?”

“Yeah, how do you manage that?”

“I’m well-connected. The point is, I’ve watched that relationship from the very beginning, and I’m telling you, his behavior hasn’t changed.”

“That doesn’t mean his feelings haven’t changed since he asked me out.”

Alya snapped her kit closed. “Whatever you say, Mari.”

“I don’t think I’d be comfortable dating someone I work with anyway.”

“Why not? I’m doing it. It’s great,” Alya said, pointing a makeup brush at her boyfriend. Nino waved from the director’s chair.

“You’re more fearless than I am, Alya. And things work out for you.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Ask him out at the wrap party, then. You’ll be done working together.”

“No, we won't,” Marinette said. “We’re supposed to do _Pride and Prejudice_ together next year.”

“Wow, seriously? You didn’t tell me that.”

Marinette sighed. “It isn’t official yet. Anyway, I’m not asking him out, and definitely not today, so drop it.” She took a drink from her water bottle. “Shouldn’t he be back by now? I’m ready for another take.”

“I would be too, if I were you,” Alya said, wiggling her eyebrows. “I’ve always meant to ask - is he a good kisser?”

“Alya!”

“Okay! Fine, tell me later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the KITR webseries, the only character besides the leads is the disembodied voice of the director, but I felt like Alya really had something to add to this story. So here she is!
> 
> I’m so excited about the next chapter. It should be up soon! I’ve had it mostly written for weeks.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at peggiecarter :)


	4. Elizabeth & Darcy

_The rain only misted around the couple as they walked arm-in-arm in the garden. Elizabeth smiled affectionately at Mr. Darcy. “How could you have begun to care for me?” she asked. “My beauty you had early withstood, and as for my manners - my behavior to you was at least always bordering on the uncivil, and I never spoke to you without rather wishing to give you pain.”_

_Mr. Darcy met her gaze, his eyes soft. “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation,” he said. “It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”_

_“Now be sincere, Mr. Darcy; did you admire me for my impertinence?''_

_“For the liveliness of your mind, I did.''_

_Elizabeth shook her head. “You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little less. To be sure, you knew no actual good of me - but nobody thinks of that when they fall in love.''_

_“Was there no good in your affectionate behavior to Jane, while she was ill at Netherfield?” Mr. Darcy said._

_“Dearest Jane! Who could have done less for her?” A playful sparkle came into her eye. “But make a virtue of it by all means. My good qualities are under your protection, and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me to find occasions for teasing and quarreling with you as often as may be. I shall begin directly by asking you - what made you so shy of me, when you first called, and afterwards dined here? Why especially, when you called, did you look as if you did not care about me?”_

_“Because you were grave and silent, and gave me no encouragement.”_

_“But I was embarrassed,” Elizabeth said._

_“And so was I.”_

_“You might have talked to me more when you came to dinner.”_

_“A man who had felt less, might,” Mr. Darcy said earnestly._

_Elizabeth blushed slightly. "How unlucky that you should have a reasonable answer to give, and that I should be so reasonable as to admit it! But tell me, what did you come down to Netherfield for? Was it merely to ride to Longbourn and be embarrassed? Or had you intended any more serious consequence?"_

_Mr. Darcy stopped walking and took her hand in his. "I avowed to myself that my purpose was to see whether your sister were still partial to Bingley." His other hand he placed on her cheek. “My real purpose,” Mr. Darcy said, “was to see you, and to judge, if I could, whether I might ever hope to make you love me.”_

_She kissed him sweetly without any care of the rain which was now starting to fall in earnest._

**“Cut! That was beautiful. One more take and we'll break for lunch.”**

"Marinette?"

"Hmm?"

"You look cold," Adrien said, holding out a dry towel.

Marinette smiled and took it. “Thanks."

“Yeah...no problem.”

Out the corner of his eye he could see her chewing on her lip, like she was trying to decide whether to speak. “It’s good to work with you again,” she said finally.

“Oh. Yeah, you too.”

“Is this really our fourth project together?”

He smiled, a little hesitantly. “Crazy, huh?”

“Crazy,” she agreed. “I think this is the last one we have lined up for a while.”

Adrien cleared his throat. “Yeah, I think so.” _Did that sound casual enough?_ He didn't want her to guess that it was all he'd been able to think about since the first day of shooting. He fidgeted. “I suppose it is.”

“Crazy,” she repeated.

The silence was tense, but Adrien didn’t know how to fill it. Marinette didn’t say anything more.

They prepared for the next take. The rain began again. Adrien took a deep breath and tried to get in character.

His characters had always felt so real to Adrien. He should have been taking on an act, but it always felt like dropping one.

He was Gabriel Agreste's son. He would be on display no matter what. At least this way no one was actually seeing _him_. He was not wearing Adrien’s clothes, he was not speaking Adrien’s words. He had freedom.

When the cameras were on he could be someone with different problems, who wasn't necessarily dealing with the pressure of the public eye or the expectations of his father or the contempt of the woman he admired most ardently.

He could be a lovesick Italian youth, he could be a socially awkward Austen hero. First impressions could be changed. Conflicts could be resolved. He could be in love with Marinette - she could be in love back -

_“No thanks. Please don’t talk to me. I had to work my butt off to get here, Adrien. We don’t all have famous last names.”_

_“From the very beginning of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressed me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others. I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever marry.”_

He ached, looking at her, seeing Marinette when he should have seen Elizabeth. _You have bewitched me, body and soul..._

The cameras rolled. They did the scene again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, forget this au. What I need now is a P&P au.
> 
> The next chapter is the last one!
> 
> Scream with me on tumblr - [peggiecarter](http://peggiecarter.tumblr.com) :)


	5. Marinette & Adrien

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was that, like, two and a half months? Oops.
> 
> Without further delay, here's the conclusion!

Marinette closed the umbrella and shook it out, studying the house in front of her with curiosity. It was nice, but modest compared to what she knew Adrien must have been able to afford. The welcome mat was stamped with a large pawprint. A few pots sat out on the porch, small blue flowers overflowing from them like foam from a fizzy drink.

Marinette squirmed nervously, looking at the doorbell. “This is crazy,” she muttered. What had she been thinking--that she could just show up and fix everything? It wasn’t that simple, no matter what Alya might have said.

She propped the folded umbrella against the side of the house and turned to leave, ignoring the downpour. Her foot caught on one of the steps and she tumbled, shrieking.

Inside the house a dog erupted into a barking fit. 

“Perfect,” Marinette muttered. She hauled herself up and assessed her options. She could scramble to her feet and get away before Adrien came to the door. Or she could grab the umbrella and deliver it to him like she’d planned.

Before she could decide the door swung open. Adrien was restraining a large, overexcited golden retriever by a hold on its collar. It took a moment for him to look down and spot her. His eyes widened. “Marinette?” he asked, dumbfounded.

“Adrien!” Marinette said, trying to sound casual and not like she was sprawled on his front steps, soaked in rainwater. “I, um, came to return your umbrella. From the old days, on _Lucky Charm_.” She pointed.

Adrien smiled, picking up the dripping umbrella. “Oh yeah. I remember.”

“It’s your dad’s but I don’t know where he lives, so I thought I’d return it to you...only I ended up needing it on the way over,” she said, getting to her feet and gesturing to the rain still falling.

“You didn’t have to return it,” Adrien said.

“Oh, it’s okay. I wanted to.” _I wanted to see you._ Marinette chewed on her lip, trying to think of something else to say. “Who’s this guy?” she asked, gesturing to the dog. He was straining against Adrien’s grip on his collar so frantically he had risen to his hind legs, tongue lolling, panting profusely.

“Oh, this is Charlie.” Adrien released the dog, who immediately barreled straight for Marinette’s legs, tail wagging.

Marinette smiled and knelt to pet him. “You never told me you had a dog,” she said, looking up at Adrien.

His expression was odd. “Well...we didn’t talk much.”

Marinette sobered. “Yeah,” she said, straightening. “I guess so.” She pushed her wet bangs off her forehead. “I, uh, actually wanted to talk to you.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows. “Oh, okay. About what?”

Marinette picked at her nails. “I wanted to apologize. For the way I used to treat you.”

“Oh.” He sounded surprised. “That’s okay. It was a long time ago, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said. “But I never apologized.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Adrien said. “I didn’t need you to apologize. It was enough that you forgave me.”

Marinette frowned at him. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I just assumed that you would be like--like--”

“Chloé Bourgeois?” Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow. Chloé had auditioned for the part of Bridgette years ago, expecting her connections to the Agrestes to get her the role. She’d thrown a fit when Gabriel had cast Marinette instead.

“Yeah,” Marinette said. “Sorry, I know she’s your friend.”

“That’s okay,” Adrien said. “These days even Chloé acknowledges that she was an entitled brat back then.”

Marinette smiled and scratched Charlie’s ears. “Anyway, I’m sorry I judged you. I should have known better than that. I liked it better when we were friends.”

Adrien brightened. “We were friends?”

Marinette’s cheeks warmed. “Oh. I thought so.”

“Me too,” Adrien said.

“I’m glad.”

For a moment they just grinned at each other, cheeks slightly flushed, with the pitter-patter of the rain and the thumping of Charlie’s tail the only sound.

“This is kind of familiar, isn’t it?” Adrien asked, gesturing to the rain coming down and the two of them standing in the middle of it.

Marinette smiled, pulling her jacket tighter around her. “It is.”

“Just a few things missing.”

“Mm hmm. No lights, no costumes, no directors.”

“Yeah.” Adrien turned pink. “Something else missing, too.”

Marinette met his eyes and felt a charge go through her--the same one she’d felt every time they’d shot a scene together after he’d given her that umbrella. She’d denied at it first, telling herself that it was only her character’s feelings that made her heart leap when the rain would start and they filmed a scene together. Then, later, she’d been certain he couldn’t have felt that way in return.

But now she thought she saw it in him--the flush of his cheeks, the doofiness that had been in his smile. She thought she could feel both of them hesitantly daring to dig up the feelings they’d tried to bury.

Adrien’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Anyway,” he said, glancing at the umbrella. “I didn’t--”

Marinette stepped forward and took a fistful of his shirt, pulling him close and pressing her lips to his. She felt Adrien tense for just a second before he kissed her back, his hands resting on her waist. She sighed slightly, relaxing. She could feel Adrien smiling into the kiss.

Marinette knew his lips so well, but this was the first time they were _his_ , and meant for _her_. It was an old rhythm with an entirely new underlying beat. His touch, his hand brushing her face was familiar, but the feeling behind it was new, new, new. They didn’t have to hold back anymore. They weren't acting.

Adrien pulled away and rested his forehead on hers for a moment.

Marinette laughed softly, her eyes still closed. “What was that, our two-thousandth kiss?”

“Probably,” Adrien said.

“Pretty weird,” Marinette said, opening her eyes.

Adrien took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. He was still blushing. “Why don’t we call that one the first?”

“What, just start over?”

“Sure.” Adrien leaned in, his lips only a breath away from hers. “Hi, I’m your co star, Adrien. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Dork,” Marinette said, and kissed him softly.

“It’s cold out here,” Adrien said. “Do you want to come in and have some cocoa?”

“I’d love that,” Marinette said, letting him lead her inside. Charlie followed, happily oblivious to his shaggy, dripping-wet fur.

They talked and sipped cocoa in Adrien’s kitchen, where through the small window they could see the rain trickle to a gradual stop and the sun shine through the silvery clouds above.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~adrien is a dog person and marinette is a cat person and that is my official unchanging headcanon forever~~
> 
> That's all, folks!
> 
> Also, I wrote [this thing](http://peggiecarter.tumblr.com/post/150987311267/pov) for an ask meme on tumblr--part of Chapter 1, from Adrien's pov
> 
> I'm going to miss this little fic--it's been so fun to write. And I watched KitR all the way through like six times in the process, which was great. (George & Mary is definitely my favorite episode)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and for your comments, kudos, etc <333

**Author's Note:**

> you can watch the webseries kissing in the rain [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kMIcdMe56s&index=2&list=PLs2T_dNZ-XW7q7eqkRL1VXBiyaC_5VXRW), and you definitely should - it's beautiful, and not very long.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as [peggiecarter](http://peggiecarter.tumblr.com) :)


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